Building structure of spaced frames



7 Filed March 29, 1967 May 21, 1968 M. M. STARR I 3,333,812

BUILDING STRUCTURE OF SPACED FRAMES 5 Sheets Sheet 1 I m T Q l'3 72INVENTOR 4 4 MICHAEL STARR ATTOR N EY May 21, 1968 M. M. STARR 3,383,812

BUILDING STRUCTURE OF SPACED FRAMES e 24 m z:

INVENTOR MICHAEL STARR QM I ATTORNEY y 1, 1968 M. M. TARR 3,383,812

BUILDING STRUCTURE OF SPACED FRAMES Filed March 29, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet5 FIG. 6 [07 M0 /44 m1 fz /34 L fix /4a M INVENTOR MICHAEL STARR BY Mk IATTO R N EY United States Patent 3,383,812 BUILDING STRUCTURE OF SPACLDFRAMES .lviichael Ml. Starr, Richmond Heights, him, asslgnor to Star-ranCompany, ind, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Mar. 29,1967, Ser. No. 62%,856 3 Claims. ((11. S2--73) ABSTRAtZT OF THEBISCLOSURE A prefabricated building including congruent top and baseframes formed from endwise abutting angles having outwardly presentedvertical flanges and upwardly pre sented horizontal flanges. The top andbase frames are connected at their corners by upstanding corner angleshaving side flanges which are riveted to the vertical flanges of the topand base frames in such a manner that the intersecting vertical flangesand the intersecting side flanges are located adjacent one another. Sidewalls extend upwardly from the base frame and window frames are locatedabove the side walls. A floor rests on the horizontal flanges of thebase frame and a ceiling rests on and is secured to the horizontalflanges of the top frame. A roof extends across and covers the ceilingand a sliding or swinging door is formed in at least one of the sidewalls.

Small prefabricated buildings of a more or less portable nature are usedfor numerous purposes including guardhouses at factory entrances,attendant booths for parking lots and garages, in-plant oflices, tolland ticket booths, and dressing rooms. Inasmuch as these buildings areoften exposed to the elements they have heretofore been constructedgenerally of steel or wood covered with siding and have been generouslyreinforced by a number of reinforcing members. Consequently, thesebuildings are not only expensive, but also are quite heavy and thereforedifficult to transport and emplace.

The prefabricated buildings of the present invention, on the other hand,are formed from a minimum of structural members which are interconnectedin such a manner that the building is light in weight, yet possesses thesame rigidity as similar prefabricated buildings heretofore constructed.By the same token, they are relatively inexpensive in cost.

Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted theprovision of a prefabricated building which is durable and rigid inconstruction, yet light in weight; the provision of a prefabricatedbuilding which is weatherproof and attractive in appearance; and theprovision of a prefabricated building which is economical tomanufacture. Other objects and features will be in part ap parent and inpart pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafterdescribed, the scope of the invention being indicated in the followingclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possibleembodiments of the invention are illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prefab icated build ing constructed inaccordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, are sectional views taken along lines 33, 4-4, and:'5, respectively, of FIG. 2;

FIG 6 is a perspective view of a modified prefabricated buildingconstructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the modified ceiling structure formingpart of the present invention.

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Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, 2 designates a prefabricated portablebuilding having a rectilinear base frame 4 including a pair of sideangles 6, 8, each consisting of an outwardly presented vertical flangelit and an integrally formed upwardly presented horizontal flange 12.Transversely connecting side angles 6, 8, at their ends are end anglesl4, 16, having outwarly presented vertical flanges l3 and integralupwardly presented horizontal flanges 20. Horizontal flanges 12, 26, aremitered at their ends and fitted into edgewise abutment so that the endsof vertical flanges it 18, are juxtaposed. Frame 4 is held together forthe purpose of facilitating assembly by means of four triangular cornerplates 22 which are riveted to the undersides of horizontal flanges 12,2%, across the mitered joints formed at the ends thereof (P16. 4).Plates 22, of course, also add rigidity to base frame 4-.

Extending upwardly from the corners of rectilinear frame 4 are fourupstanding corner posts or angles 24, 26, 28, 30, each integrallyincluding a pair of flanges 32, 34, disposed at right angles to oneanother. The inwardly presented faces of flanges 32, 34, fit against andare riveted to the outwardly presented surfaces of outer verticalflanges 16, 113, so that the V-shaped junctures formed by flanges 1t 18,on one hand and flanges 32;, 34, on the other, are adjacent.Accordingly, the endwise abutting ver tical flanges 19, 18, are joinedtogether, thereby rigiditying base frame 4. A small portion of each post24, 26, 23, 30, projects downwardly beyond base frame 4 in the provisionof a foot 31.

At their upper ends upstanding corner posts 24, 26, 28, 30, areconnected by a top frame 36 including a pair of side angles 38, 46,having integrally formed outwardly presented vertical flanges 42- andupwardly presented horizontal flanges 44, the angles 38, 49, beingtransversely connected at their ends by end angles 46, 43, also havingoutwardly presented vertical flanges 56 and upwardly presentedhorizontal flanges 52 which align with horizontal flanges 44. Similarly,the ends of horizontal flanges 44, 52, are mitered and brought intoedgewise abutment while the vertical flanges 42, Si in close proximityto their abutting junctures are riveted to the upper end of flanges 32,34, of posts 24, 26, 28, 30, in such a manner that the V-shapedjunctures formed by flanges 32, 34, on one hand, and flanges 42, 50, onthe other, are adjacent. Similarly, riveted across the mitered jointsformed by the abutting ends of horizontal flanges 44, 52, prior toinstallation on corner posts 24, 26, 28, 3d, are upper corner plates 54(PE 5).

Resting on horizontal flanges 44, 52, of top frame 36 and bolted theretois a ceiling 56 consisting of an insulating board 58 having an aluminumsheet 6% laminated to the underside thereof. Extending completely acrossceiling 56 and screwed thereto is a roof 62 which projects outwardlybeyond the end and side margins of frame 36 and is preferably formedfrom corrugated aluminum. Attached to roof 62 and extending around theperipheral margin thereof are facia panels 64, the lower margins ofwhich turn inwardly where they merge into gutters 66 located beneath theperipheral margins of roof 62.

Resting on and bolted to horizontal flanges 12, 2t), of base frame 4 isa floor 70 preferably formed from a plywood board 71 having aluminumshooting 72 laminated to its underside and a suitable floor covering 74applied to its upwardly presented surface. The peripheral edge of floor'79 is located inwardly from the peripheral edge of base frame 4suificient distance for permitting a pair of side panels 76, '78, and anend panel 86 to fit between the peripheral edges of floor 70 and flanges32, 34, of upstanding corner posts 24, 26, 28, 50. The bottom edges ofpanels 76, 78, 80, furthermore rest on horizontal flanges 12, 28, ofside angles 6, 8, and end angle 16 of base frame 4, and in slightlyupwardly spaced relation therefrom panels 76, '78, 80, are secured tothe adjacent peripheral edges of floor 78 preferably by means of woodscrews. Adjacent their vertical margin panels 76, 78, 88, are securelyattached to flanges 32, 34, of corner posts 24, 26, 28, 30, preferablyby means of bolts. Side panels 76, 78, and end panel 80 are allpreferably formed from an insulating board 82 having aluminum sheeting34 laminated to its outwardly presented surface and a suitable hardboard86 such as plywood laminated to its inwardly presented surface. Theexposed surface of hardboard 86 facing the interior of building 2 isattractively finished.

Disposed above panels 76, 78, 88, are window frames 88, 90, 92,respectively, each having an upper lip 94, a lower lip 95, and laterallips 96. Lateral lips 96 are riveted tightly against the inwardlypresented surfaces of flanges 32, 34, of corner posts 24, 26, 28, 36,while the upper lips 94 of frames 88, 9t], 92, are riveted to theinwardly presented faces of the vertical flanges on angles 38, 40, 48,respectively. Lower lips 95 of frames 88, 98, 92, lap over the outwardlypresented faces of panels 76, 78, 80, to which they are securelyfastened by means of bolts. If desired corner posts 24, 26, 28, 30, canbe extended upwardly substantially beyond window frames 88, 90, 92, andanother set of upper side panels can be secured to posts 24, 26, 28, 30,window frames 88, 90, 92, and top frame 36 in the manner previouslydescribed. In such an instance the portions of such panels along theirupper edges would be riveted to the inwardly presented surfaces ofvertical flanges 42, 50, on angles 38, 40, 48, while portions thereofalong their lower margins would be bolted to upper lips 94.

Interconnecting end angle 14 of base frame 4 and end angle 46 of topframe 36 intermediate corner posts 24, 26, is a vertical member 100 ofT-shaped cross-section having integrally formed forward and sideflanges, the latter of which faces corner post 24 and is cut away at itsends so that the forward flange can abut against the outwardly presentedfaces of vertical flanges 18, 42, to which it is riveted. Enclosing thearea defined by member 180, corner post 26, and end angles 14, 46, is afront panel 106 which is similar in construction to panels 76, 78, 80,and is furthermore secured in place along its peripheral margin by meansof bolts which pass through the forward flange of member 180 as well asthrough flanges 32 and of corner post 26 and end angle 46,

respectively. The bottom edge of panel 106 rests on horizontal flange 20of end angle 14 and slightly upwardly therefrom is secured to theadjacent end edge of floor 70 by means of a plurality of spaced woodscrews. If desired, a portion of panel 106 can be replaced by a windowframe which would be secured in place in a manner similar to frames 88,90, 92. Riveted to vertical member 100, post 24, and angle 14 is aconventional door frame 108 of the storm door variety and swingablyconnected thereto by means of hinges 116 is a conventional outwardlyopening aluminum door 118 which is provided with a handle and keyoperated lock assembly 120 for engaging a keeper formed in door frame108.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it is possible to provide a modifiedprefabricated building 130 which is very similar to building 2 and alsoincludes a base frame 132, upstanding corner posts 134, a top frame 136,a ceiling 138, a roof 140, and a floor 142, all of which are similar inconstruction to their counterparts in building 2. Building 130 isfurther provided with end panels 144, 146, and window frames 148, 150,which are emplaced similar to side panels 76, 78, and frames 88, 90, ofbuilding 2.

The sides of building are enclosed by patio-type sliding door assemblies152, 154, which are conventional in construction and design. It is,therefore, suflicient for purposes of the present disclosure to merelynote that each door assembly 152, 154, includes upper and lower tracks156, 158, the former of which are united to the horizontal flanges ofthe side angles forming part of top frame 136, while the latter rest onand are riveted to the horizontal angles of the side angles forming partof base frame 132. Interconnccting each pair of tracks 156, 158,intermediate their ends is an upstanding door post and enclosing thearea between post 160 and end panel 146 are side panels 162 and windowframes 164. Slidably mounted on tracks 156, 158, are doors 166 whichmove from an open position wherein they are disposed in front of sidepanels 162 to a closed position wherein they enclose the area beyondupstanding door posts 160. It should be noted that door assemblies 152,154, can be purchased having sliding doors which move either on theoutside or inside of side panels 162. By the same token, it is possibleto purchase door assemblies 152, 154, each having two movable doorslocated on parallel tracks so that one door can move adjacent the other.

Referring to FIG. 7, it is possible to provide buildings 2 or 135) witha modified ceiling {78 including a plurality of transversely extendingspaced parallel extruded beams 172 of -shaped cross-sectionalconfiguration and having opposed upper and lower flanges 172, 174,interconnected by bight portion 176. Lower flanges 174 are rivetedscsurely to horizontal flanges 44 of the end angles forming upper frames36, 136, and slidably fitted within the opposed channels of beams 171formed by flanges 172, 174, and bight portions 176 are ceiling boards177, each preferably consisting of an upper plywood panel 178, anintermediate layer of filter material 188, and a lower layer of ceilingtile 182, all udhesively bonded together. Fitted across upper flanges172. of beams 171 is roof 62 or 140. if desired, extruded beams havingan inverted T-shaped cross-sectional configuration can be utilized inlieu of lshaped beams 171 and in such an instance ceiling boards 177would merely rest on the lower flange of the T-shaped beams. Ceiling isideally suited for in-plant oflices in view of the sound deadeningcharacteristics possessed by ceiling boards 177.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:

1. A building comprising a base frame of polygonal shape fabricated froma plurality of bottom angles having horizontally and verticallypresented flanges, the latter of which form the outer periphery of thebase frame, the latter of which extend downwardly of the horizontalflanges, a top frame of substantially the same size and configuration asthe base frame and fabricated from a plurality of top angles havinghorizontally and vertically presented flanges, the latter of whichextend downwardly from the horizontal flanges and form the outerperiphery of the top frame, upstanding angles interconnecting the topand base frames and having side flanges which are secured to andfacewise abut against the vertical flanges of the top and bottom anglesat the corners formed by intersections of the various top and bottomangles, the upstanding angles upwardly terminating substantially nohigher than the horizontal flanges of the top angles, a ceiling restingupon and secured to the horizontal flanges of the top angles,and a floorresting upon and supported by the horizontal flanges of the base frame,side panels secured to and held in facewise abutment with the inwardlypresented surfaces of the side flanges, the peripheral edge of the floorbeing located in inwardly spaced relation to the vertical flanges of thebase frame at a distance suflicient to permit the side wall panels tofit between the peripheral edge of the floor and the side flanges,whereby the lower edges of the side wall panels rest upon the horizontalflanges of the base frame and form a rigid rectilinear structure.

2. A building according to claim 1 and further characterized by a roofresting upon and fastened to the ceiling and projecting laterally beyondthe top angles.

3. A building according to claim 1 wherein the top and base frames arerectangular and the vertical flanges of the top and base angles endwiseabut so as to form V- shaped corners; and wherein the side flanges ofthe upstanding angles abut against the outwardly presented surfaces ofthe top and bottom angles with the lines of intersection formed by theside flanges being located adjacent to the lines of intersection formedby the abutting vertical flanges of the base and top angles.

4. A building according to claim 3 wherein the various horizontalflanges of the top and base frames are mitered at their ends and arelocated in endwise abutment with one another.

5. A building according to claim 4 in which at least one of the sides isenclosed by a sliding door assembly comprising a track, a door slidablymounted on the track and a stationary side panel, the remaining sidesbeing enclosed by stationary wall panels and window frames.

6. A building according to claim 4 and further characterized bytriangular corner plates riveted to the horizontal angles and disposedacross the mitered junctures thereof whereby to maintain the upper andlower frames rigid.

'7. A building according to claim 1 and further characterized by windowframes located above the side panels and having laterally projecting,upwardly projecting and downwardly projecting lips, the laterallyprojecting lips overlapping and being secured to the side flanges of theupstanding angles and the upwardly and downwardly projecting lipsoverlapping and being secured to the vertical flanges of the top anglesand to the side panels, respectively.

8. A building according to claim 7 in which the ceiling comprises aplurality of spaced parallel beams each having a vertical portioninterposed between pairs of coplanar laterally projecting flanges whichrest upon the horizontal flanges of the top angles, and ceiling boardsresting upon the laterally projecting flanges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 546,502 9/1895 Bailey 5266l1,211,790 1/1917 Van Orden 52272 1,423,779 7/1922 Partee 52250 1,849,2733/1932 Broderick 52-648 1,873,264 8/1932 Bemis 52-272 2,167,169 7/1939Bolhuis 5264 2,078,970 5/1937 Patterson 52-278 3,283,455 11/1966Riegelrnan 52204 3,293,814 12/1966 Zugehor 5279 3,296,753 1/1967 McGee52-73 3,315,424 4/1967 Smith 522O6 FOREIGN PATENTS 558,562 1957 Italy.

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner.

